3 TRAVEL TIPS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR VACATION
Everyone loves a great vacation. Getting away from the daily grind, and having an experience that can rejuvenate and refresh you is vital to your mental, emotional, and physical health.
However, when you ?nally are able to set aside the time and money to go someplace new, the last thing you want to do is feel like you missed something.
Here are 3 simple secrets to help you fully enjoy your vacation.
1. ASK THE LOCALS
The truth is that no one knows this new and wonderful place like the people who live and work there every day! They are your best resource for ?nding the most amazing food, events, and sometimes hidden gems of the area. Often there can be ideas and options that you might never ?nd in a travel magazine. Here are some tips on how to safely take advantage of this resource.
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- Take advice from people in the customer service industry: Not only are locals your best resource, but those you have paid for an experience such as waiters, shop owners, or guides are especially informative. You have paid them already and their advice to you is still part of your experience with them. As one of the leading tour companies in Los Angeles; Sunny Day Scoot guides give guests great ideas on other things to do in the area and amazing places to eat as well. Another hint is that the people you are tipping at your daily breakfast/lunch spot or who work at the hotel you are staying have a vested interest in you enjoying your vacation.
- Be weary of ideas you get from people on the street: Always consider the source, motive, and accountability when asking advice from anyone; locals are no exception! Just as much as people that you are doing business with on vacation have a vested interest in your satisfaction, strangers on the street do not. A random passerby can tell you or sell you anything and never be seen again. You do not want to ever be mislead. It is always good to consider options that you may come across by the ‘man on the street’, however make sure to double check these suggestions by researching on the internet, talking your hotel, or reading reviews. If after a bit of research you can not ?nd any mainstream information about the event or activity, then it’s probably best to try something else.
Your concierge or hotel front desk is a great ?rst and last stop for ideas.
Tip: If you do hear of somewhere to go or something to do from another source; run it by
the concierge to get their feedback before trying it.
2. BE PHOTO SMART
You are no stranger to taking pictures. In this day and age, we ?nd ourselves taking pictures of everything from our breakfast to our pets sleeping. However, when you are on your vacation, you can easily ?nd yourself missing your holy moley moments because you have given in to the photo- obsessed culture of today. Here are some great ways to make sure you capture your favorite memories while not making the mistake of experiencing them only through the lens.
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- Don’t run out of space: Make sure you have extra SD Cards for your camera. If you run low on room in your SD card or you rely mostly on your phone for pictures then a great trick to keep free space on either is to upload your pictures to your computer or email them each night. That way you are sure to have enough room for the next days pictures and videos.
- Be in the moment: These days it is very easy to cross the line between “checking in” on social media verses checking out of life. Remember these are places you have never been, things you have never done or seen before, and in some cases experiences you may never have again! Make sure you take pictures for keepsake, but don’t lose the moment by burying your face in your phone to post on social media. You can post all you want when you are inside your hotel room later tonight, but while you are out in this amazing new wold you have traveled so far to see; be sure to keep yourself immersed in that experience.
- Be a patient observer: Another way to keep yourself present is to wait until the end of the day, or even the end of the trip to look through all your pictures. If you are able to hold o? looking at your pictures then you will be able to have such a di?erent experience as the observer later on. Of course you want to check and make sure you got a great angle or lighting for any given sel?e or panoramic, but try to save a full trip photo view as long as possible. This is a great way to relive the moments and almost take a virtual version of your vacation again.
- Have other people take pictures of you – but be smart about it: Like it or not you are a tourist in a new land, and more than likely you stick out like a sore thumb. The last thing you need is to have your newest iphone/android, or that great camera you got last holiday season as a gift from your hobby happy uncle, stolen. However, you don’t want your entire photo-album to be a catalogue of sel?es either! The safest people to ask to take your pictures are employees or fellow tourists. People who are at work are not going to run o? with your property because they are stuck at their job. Usually they are in the shops and restaurants that you are walking by so it is their job to be courteous and welcoming. For these reasons employees are the optimal people to hand your camera and ask for a photo. Not as trustworthy but the next best thing is your fellow tourist. The good thing about other tourists is that they have the same needs and concerns as you do, so help each other out. Not only can you do a little tit-for-tat and trade off taking pictures for each other, but it’s also a great way to meet other travelers and perhaps new friends. Truly a win win!
Sometimes its better to just put the camera down and experience life through your own eyes.
Tip: Snap your photo for keepsake but then take time to take it in naturally in the moment.
3. Prioritize Safety
The most important thing when going away on vacation is to make sure that you return safely. Unlike other parts of planning your trip safety often gets overlooked. There are great ways to keep your wits about you without letting paranoia ruin your fun. Barring something random happening or you participating in some death-defying daredevil action, here are some helpful hints to keep your stuff and more importantly yourself safe on vacation.
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- Have a lifeline: Email a general daily itinerary to someone at home so that any given day your steps can be traced. This can be a fun way for someone, who wasn’t able to come on the trip with you, to feel included in your activities as well as keeping your general whereabouts known.
- Use the safe in your hotel room:Take what you need for the day; such as petty cash, checks, credit card, maps, water, etc. Anything more, like excess cash, electronics, and other valuables should be left in the safe. Include a copy of your daily itinerary if you like. Not only is it another level of safety, but at the end of your trip you have a day to day event log to retrace your adventures in the future.
- Beware of off the beaten path opportunities:If you have to go down some dark cavern into the depths of the underworld in order to find the “best unknown club” or an hour out of the city trekking through a jungle alone in order to witness the “most incredible isolated beach that will blow your mind”: Well, you may be better off avoiding it altogether. It’s great to find something less touristy, but you don’t want to be the first tourist ever to be there. If you do decide to venture to the unknown, put it on your daily email itinerary. Roads less traveled are not always the safest. 😉
Trust your gut, stay where you are visible and safe.
Tip: Travel with someone you trust
Do you have any travel secrets that you would like to add to our list? What has helped you get the most of your vacation while you were there? Is there anything that you have learned that you wish you had known before you went away?
If you happen to be traveling to the Los Angeles area on your next trip feel free to check out our top 5 list for fun interactive restaurants. While you are in town check out a scooting adventure with Sunnyday Scoot!
Sunnyday Scoot offers the best Sightseeing Tours in LA. If you are looking for things to do in Los Angeles as a local, our one hour Adventure Rides are the most fun you can have on the road! Come have an experience that you will remember for a lifetime!